Dolores Barbosa

  Dolores was a true selfless woman who never married, she devoted her life to taking care of her father after he lost his wife and took on raising her toddler-adopted-sister for many years. Her, her father, and sister lived three doors down from her nephew’s childhood home on Lydia in the St. Francis Parish. Dolores’s nephew grew up with her in his life to high school age and into college. She let him live with her and her sister in the early 80’s.

 Dolores was a devout Catholic. She attended Mass every Sunday and then some. She never learned to drive and took the city bus or walked everywhere. Later in her life she moved to the Waldo area into a duplex she could share with her sister. She was a regular at McDonalds at 79th & Stateline and Hy-Vee on 77th & Stateline. While she lived on Lydia, she came to fancy Go-Chicken-Go and she would be seen with a “snack pack” daily after work.

 Born in Dewey, Oklahoma, she then lived in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Her family then moved to 14th Street in Kansas City where she lived her adolescence and her adulthood. She worked in early 70’s with TWA Airlines and flew and visited Europe. Later she became a draftsman for city hall where she drafted the plans for the ward parkway and meyer blvd. circle fountain!  

 She was preceded in death by her family:  William Barbosa, Petra Barbosa, Uncle Johnny Barbosa, brother Louis Barbosa, sisters Mary Rodriguez, Teresa Rocha, Catherine Whiteman, Carmen Garcia.  She is survived by her remaining sisters: Alice Hilt and Estela Ben Ali of Kansas City and Lorenza Medina formally of Freeman, Missouri now residing in Smyrna, Ga.

 She has over 135 grand-nieces and nephews who ALL had a story or two about her. She was the pistol of the family back from when she was a youngster. As stories go, she would harass her family goats in Oklahoma for goats’ milk and other assorted shenanigans.

Dolores had recently lost her beloved dog Marty and asked about him every night before bed. She was the holiest most selfless woman her family knew. She did believe in UFOs and she had lots of stories on the topic.  She thought the number zero was a conspiracy to mess up our modern-day mathematics. Dolores was also a very talented sketch artist and hairdresser.

 She along w my mom and aunt teresa opened a beauty salon called “patricias” off westport road in the 70’s.

as i recall her sisters were her biggest customers!

Special note:

It was her invention to help her nephew and his curly haired brother Jon to flatten or straighten out their hair for school by cutting off a pantyhose leg and having them sleep with them over their heads all night and then awaken to straight hair! 

  Dolores had a toy poodle in 80’s named Chistoso. Chistoso never got along with her nephew due to some of his antics against him. Chistoso is mentioned out of respect for doggies.

  She loved her family and loved the family reunions. She made the best chicken noodle soup.  Every morning for last 7 years she would greet her nephew, while she lived in Atlanta, with her coffee and her cinnamon rolls while watching tv (usually Golden Girls and Mama’s House). She had a very loving, watchful caregiver named Angie, who Mon-Fri was her saint. Angie prepped her meals, helped her to bathroom and helped her with her laundry (among many other tasks). 

  Dolores was perpetually in a good mood her whole life, except when paying her utility bills. She was living in High Cotton while Chinatown (the local Chinese all-you-could-eat buffet) was in business off 75th & Wornall. She was a VIP there and knew the owners. Dolores could eat too! (She probably lost them $ every visit and possibly why they went out of business). She may still be banned on K.C. city busses as she never had the correct change for the bus and would keep them waiting - which would irritate the bus drivers. Thus, the ban (official or not).

 Dolores’s nephew’s every trip to Kansas City started with him tracking her down and if not home, he would find her at the local McDonalds or CVS or Christ the King church on 85th & Wornall WITHOUT fail.

    Dolores’s family will forever feel the heartache that her absence will bring. She was small in stature but big in personality. Her family was lucky to have her in their lives all these years.

  Visitation to be 5:00 – 7:00p.m., Friday, March 1, 2024 at Muehlebach Funeral Care, 6800 Troost Ave., Kansas City, Missouri. Rosary will be recited beginning at 7:00p.m.